Kabul Urban Survey - Groupe URD

3.7 Different typologies of housing
Figure 22, Figure 23, Figure 24 & Figure 25
Traditional houses
Most of this self build housing consists of
traditional mud buildings with one or two
floors, flat roofs and wooden windows.
Blocks of flats
Prefabricated blocks date from Soviet
period (concentrated in Microrayan areas).
‘Pakistani Houses’
Urban issues
These buildings take up a lot more space
than traditional houses inside a plot
surrounded by walls. This reduces the natural
ecological equilibrium and traditional outside
use. Pakistani houses are grouped together in
rich ‘ghetto’ areas.
Architectural issues
Those new buildings copy a foreign style of
architecture, either Arab or Pakistani. They are
much larger than traditional houses. This
building density could pose problem of lack of
privacy.
Environmental issues
These buildings, with wide windows and
powerful generators, are not energy efficient.
Traditional mud houses
Self building with rural techniques need
rehabilitation and permanent maintenance.
Building houses out of mud is energy efficient
but can be complemented with other
solutions, such as insulation and solar
system.
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